Motorola and the Cologne International School of Design present concepts for the mobile society of the future

Designs for a future generation of mobile telephones were on show at the year-end in Cologne by students of the Cologne International School of Design headed by Prof. Günter Horntrich and Andreas Wrede. The concept designs for the future of mobile communication are aimed essentially at opportunities for individualising  Motorola mobile telephones and displaying new opportunities in mobile design and conceivable additional uses for private purposes.

Oriented on the main question of what the future for mobile communication could look like, fifteen innovative concepts resulted, targeted at stronger individualisation of design, simplification of everyday life, more excitement and fun and more opportunities for communication and interaction. The students' concepts confirm that in the coming years not only purely technological achievements will be of decisive interest in the decision to purchase a mobile. Rather, the appearance and handling properties of the mobile of the future will be individually shaped. It must be integrated into every day life not only in its outward form but also support mobile communication in the private environment in conjunction with innovative, external appliances. At the same time, the demand on appliance designers will increase further.

"The students' concepts offer an extraordinary wealth of ideas for additional uses in the private area", Claudia Läpke, Mobile Devices Marketing Manger at Motorola GmbH, explains.  "They simultaneously combine innovative design with the most modern technology." This project with the Cologne  International School of Design forms part of the company's trend watching under the MOTOSTYLES umbrella. MOTOSTYLES is a communications platform set up by Motorola in the spring of 2006 that places the promotion of new styles, innovative design and future trends at the centre point, of which cooperation with the Cologne International School of Design is an integral part.

Innovative Information transfer

The students' concepts make the most of unusual functions, materials and shapes: the AnywhereMoto is a wristlet, that links mobile owners virtually to each other. With the GameMoto design, a group can experience games together thanks to Bluetooth. The InfoMoto similarly enables information transfer by Bluetooth as soon as two appliances are pressed against each other. The external skin will consist of a soft material, like rubber. The TaggerMoto allows messages to be left at public places or buildings for mobile users, who can be called up by GPS or RIFD, while the SnapMoto is an external Digicam for the mobile, fitted with eight cameras. These five concepts were designed by Antje Julius, Jan Schröder and Matthias Lange.

Futuristic forms

The IntenseMoto possesses an image hidden in the enamel, which becomes visible only when sufficient heat is applied, the thermochromic enamel on the JungleMoto showing an image that becomes steadily greater as the speech time continues. The PureEnergyMoto saves on the irritating rolling up of the loading cable, since the individual elements of the cable are mutually attracted through magnetic forces. The UndercoverMoto is unique: the top layer of the appliance is worn off in time, revealing a completely new surface beneath, which looks different on each mobile due to different handling. The four designs come from Katharina Nieradzik, Christina Marx, Yvonne Lukas and Sandra Erbse.

Child-friendly communication

Concept designer John Adebayo has recognised that it will become ever more important to acquire initial competences already at an early age in the area of modern communication, since this increasingly determines a large part of every day life. Finally, the KidsMoto offers the ideal mobile for the child. The design oriented on children is reduced to a limited number of functions. One function is assigned to each coloured key and the keys themselves can be equipped with photos, so parents can be reached at any time at the press of a button. The glove-shaped MotoControl similarly designed by John Adebayo immediately replaces the entire appliance through external control by Bluetooth.

Eye-catching accessories

The CoverMoto can be individualised by photochrome coating. Lighting technology directly on the cover allows everyone to become his own designer and select any conceivable image. The coating is reversible so that a new image can be placed on the mobile cover at any time. The stylistic  StereoMoto can be worn on a chain round the neck and receive music from the mobile by Bluetooth. The unfolding bullet is a possible variant of a modern Ghettoblaster.  Both innovative concepts come from Jan Jürgens, Stuart Katzke, Thyl Junker and Johannes Holl.

Practical Prototypes

MotoCessities is the name of a pocket design which, thanks to Micro-LED-Chips fastened to the ends of the material fibres, makes the mobile easier to find as changes in field vibrations picked up when the mobile rings are optically converted. The lit-up fibres show the whereabouts of the mobile in the mobile bag. This idea comes from Benjamin Jager, Julia Zimmermann, Max Volk, Bianca Bender and Martin Motyka. Together with Simon Stehle and Benjamin C. Hartung, the team also developed the PushMyButtonMoto design, where a previously defined function on the mobile can be activated or deactivated by pressing, like a shortcut on the computer.

See www.kisd.de for further information.